Shooter Maria Folau is still eligible to play for Silver Ferns, despite confirming a move to Australia, Netball New Zealand (NNZ) has confirmed.
On Thursday, Folau announced she was leaving the Northern Mystics and New Zealand to move full-time to Sydney to live with husband Israel.
She married the controversial rugby star last November and has since juggled life across the Tasman and training with the Mystics, but can no longer commit to those demands.
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The decision would have left her international future in doubt, but the Netball New Zealand board has granted the 128-test shooter a 12-month exemption.
NNZ board chair Allison Ferguson said Folau’s personal circumstances and her loyalty to the game here led to the exemption being granted.
"She has shown an unquestionable loyalty to netball in New Zealand, including both the Silver Ferns and Mystics," Ferguson said.
"It has been a tough season for Maria this year, now that she and her family live in Australia, travelling between the two countries to continue playing the game she has dedicated much of her life to.
"Maria’s experience is really important to this young Silver Ferns squad moving forward. The NNZ Board believed granting her a 12-month exemption to be eligible for the Silver Ferns, despite not being contracted to a NZ ANZ Premiership team, would enable Maria to continue representing her country and mentor those new Silver Fern players coming through."
Folau said making the decision to leave New Zealand was tough.
"This has been one of the hardest decisions I've ever had to make. I consider the Northern Mystics my netball family and this club will always hold a special place in my heart, but I feel the time is right for me to make a full-time move to my new home in Sydney.
"My life and my family are now based outside of New Zealand, so my support networks have also shifted across the Tasman."
Folau has maed herself available to play for an Australian team in Australia's Super Netball league.
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